At what point does your mother hand over the Christmas baton and ask you to start hosting at your house? I love spending time with my family, but I must confess I'm not looking forward to having them all in my home.

At the moment, I have it easy; December has become my month of travel to spread goodwill to loved ones. There's the pre-Christmas visit to my mother, brother, two sisters, three nieces and nephew to get the children excited. The early December stay with my mother- and father-in-law, plus their dog, three cats and five chickens. What with all of that travelling, I have become a seasoned pro at the art of packing a weekend bag. Here's what I've learnt.

First, you must find the right bag. Having a stylish holdall is something of a status symbol and if you travel a lot it's definitely worth the investment. It's tough to look like a capable adult while carrying a tatty old duffel with overfill crammed into used shopping bags. I use the Aspinal Shadow holdall, which looks great in brown nubuck with chocolate leather detailing.

The large pockets on the side are perfect for storing the things I use frequently and the buckle detail is a nice touch that hides the clasps. Before purchasing your bag, make sure it meets your criteria; if sourced properly, it will be a great travel companion for many years.

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For frequent travellers, I recommend buying duplicates of items you pack every time. By making your holdall their new home, you minimise the stress of remembering your toothbrush and phone charger the morning you go. I've invested in second laptop and phone chargers, plug adapter, headphones and spectacles. After forgetting to pack my contact lenses for the millionth time, I even decided to fill up a toiletry bag. I now have a Kiehl's moisturiser, eye cream and cleanser, a

Packing can be like a real-life game of Tetris and one chunky knit can equal five T-shirts. Providing you won't sweat to death in transit, it's probably worth wearing the items that are toughest to stow.

Pick your most versatile footwear. I am a size eleven, so it's practically impossible for me to pack more than one pair of shoes.

As such, I usually wear a pair of leather boots (that can be dressed up or down) to travel in and pack a spare pair of Converse. To save space, I fill up this pair with socks and boxer shorts. As long as you don't have athlete's foot, you should be fine.